Tough Like Me
by AndrewStorm
Summary: "You'd better wise up, Pony... you get tough like me and you don't get hurt. You look out fir yourself and nothin' can touch you"


Ponyboy walked down the hall, a guard on either side. His hands were hand cuffed, his eyes tired and blood-shot.

"Is this Mister Curtis?" asked a cop.

"Yes."

"Right this way. I'll take him from here" Said the cop, taking hold of Ponyboy's shoulder.

Ponyboy blinked at the bright lights hitting his eyes. He growled and turned away from them.

"Mister Curtis, your family is in the waiting room, ready to take you home"

"Who?" Ponyboy asked, his voice hoarse from months and months of not talking.

"Your brothers and friends. Come on. Let me get that offa you" The officer takes the hard cold handcuffs off the boy.

He steers him to a more open part of the building. The office's had no doors, just an opening in the walls. The brunette was led to a room that was very open, only two walls.

Sitting on the chairs that lined the walls were boys Pony had to think really hard to remember.

Two were his brothers. He didnt remember the other four boys.

"Oh, Pony" A blonde raced to capture Pony in a hug. He flinched back, looking at the boy with indifferent eyes.

"Doncha remember me?" The blonde asked. Another boy stood up to greet the kid. This boy was alot older than the others, he had brown hair that kicked out in the front and a slight cow-lick in the back. His pale blue-green eyes were looking like they were about to cry.

"No" Pony croaked. The blonde was handsome, god-like even. Not like the hard, nasty, cold men he had seen for all those years.

"Its me, Soda. Your brother" The blonde said in a voice that was scratchy. Like he was going to cry.

"Sodapop?" Pony searched his mind. He could see the blonde in front of him, in a bed, telling him about a girl named Sandy. He remembered the boy crying, running from him. The brown haired man telling him to'Circle around and cut him off'.

Sodapop Patrick Curtis. He remembered him. And his older brother, Darrel Shaynee Curtis.

"Its me, baby" Soda said. "But you aint a baby any more. Look atcha." Soda held his kid brothers shoudler and looked at him. A whistle came from a rusty haired man behind Sodapop.

"Look just like-" The man was cut off with a growl from another man. Pony eyed all these people, trying to remember thier names. He remembered Soda, and Darry. The rusty haired one had a mickey mouse shirt on. Pony remembered the name, Keith Mathews, or Two-Bit.

And the one that growled had dark dark hair, as did another boy, only a year older than Ponyboy himself. Pony racked his brain for those names.

Shepard. Tim and Curly. The others boy's name came easy, Steve Randall.

"Hey kid" Steve greeted Ponyboy. The boy took a step back, as if ready to flee.

"Hey, hun, its okay. Please." Soda reached out to touch his brother. Pony's eyes cought his. "Oh , Pony!"

Ponyboy's eyes were no longer the greenish-grey , filled with innocence that they were when he was handcuffed all those years ago. They were pale pale grey, much like Dallas Winstons and the Tiger boys.

"Can we go home?" Pony asked, the other members werent used the the way his voice sounded.

"Sure" Soda said, leading the group out of the Police Station.

Soda watched Pony curl up in the bed. Soda had moved into his own room after Pony's arrest. And that was closing on 5 years ago.

Pony's hair was longer than when he left, althoug they must have cut it at the cooler. His eyes were the scary and cold ones he had seen with Dallas. And he had hard lean muslces on his arms, chest, and legs. When you looked he looked like the Ponyboy everyone loved. But when he started to talk, or ya looked him in the eyes you could tell.

He had picked up slang no one knew but Tim and Curly. And he talked with a slight accent that was unknown to everyone. He also had this hard, sharp tone to his voice that made anyone shudder.

The brunette suddenly started thrashing and screaming. Soda ran to help him.

"Ponyboy, hunny, please, wake up" Soda said. Pony jolted awake, throwing Soda off him with one swift movement.

"Stay away from me when i sleep" hissed the boy, turning over in the bed.

Soda felt his eyes wet as his brother had rejected his solace.

"Dont cry. Thats immature" Pony added before closing his eyes.

Soda walked to Darry's room, needing to talk to someone.

"Dar?" Soda gently shook his brothers person.

"Huh?" Darry blinked awake, seeing Soda's tear streaked face. "Oh, Sodapop, whats wrong?"

"Pony... he's so different. I didnt think that something like this could change him so much."

"How could you not? You saw Tim, and Curly and Dallas. How could you expect someone as innocent as Pony to come out of the cooler untouched?"

"Oh Golly! touched? Poor Pony. I just want to hold him to me and never let go."

"I know" Darry touched Soda's shoulder. "Give him time"

Pony walked slowly down the street, people greeted him as if it was 5 years ago.

"Hey Ponyboy" said a familear face. Randy walked up to him and smiled plesantly.

"What do you want?" Pony hissed at the Soc. Randy had on pants that bellowed out at the botton and a shirt that had way too many colors for a Soc.

"Wondering how the cooler treated you?"

"Dally got his wish" Pony snipped.

"Huh?" Randy cocked his head. Pony pushed him away and kept walking. It wasnt far from the Shepards house now. He was meeting Tim and Curly to go bouncin. Not that he really wanted to . But he felt he needed to be around someone. Incase anyone he had spent time with was released too.

"Hey Pony" purred Angela as she let the Greaser in.

"Hi Ange" He greets, moving past her into the house. The house was pretty big to house all the Shepards.

"How you been?" She asked, touching his arm.

"Dont touch me" He hissed. She immediately removed her hand, as if he had burned her.

"Curtis" Tim greets the boy. Pony looked up at him with a half scowl. it was the closest he would get to a smile.

"Hi Tim" Pony said. Curly exited the kitchen, offering a beer to Pony. He takes it and bites the top off like he had been shown in jail.

"Damn Pone" Curly whistled, using a bottle opener for his cap. "He's a little Dallas!"

"Yea..." Tim seemed far off in thought. He blinked and then refocused on the task at hand. "Lets bounce boys" He said, grabbing his denim jacket.

They were at Jay's when Pony heard his name being called. His head whipped around so fast both Shepards thought his head was gonna fly off.

"Curtis" a kid ran up to Pony, panting at the run. "Cant believe you're out"

"Yeah and what about it?" Pony snapped.

"Lay some ice on it, man" he must mean cool it. "I just surprised, seein as you was in trouble last time i saw ya"

"Well i'm out now."

"Better warn the gang. Yeller wont be happy" Tim and Curly stiffened at the name. Yeller was the gang leader of the River Kings. The River Kings and Tiber Street Tigers were the rough gangs, used heaters and were always in trouble. Known for killin any cop that got in thier way.

"shoot, Yeller would invite me to dinner, man" Pony shook his head at the boy. "We were in the same room for a while there"

"Dont i know. He talks about you alot. You a tough lot. Reminds him of another Grease from 'round here. Though he died some time ago."

"I know." Pony nodded.

"Shoot, cat. I gotta beat it, but it was grand seeing ya, Curtis." the boy ran off with a wave to Pony.

"was he from the-"

"River Kings? Yup" Pony ran his hands through his hair, he had stopped using grease cuz he didnt use it in the cooler.

"Why are you buddying with them?" snapped Curly.

"I was close with thier leader in the cooler. Jail changes people,Curly. Thought you'd know that. If not maybe i was just on the wrong side of it."

"Golly, Pony" Tim shook his head. "You are turning just like Dallas. You watch where you are treading. Cuz you aint Dally, you aint got no one to pick you up. Turnin' away your own blood" Tim grabbed Curly by the collar.

Ponyboy wasnt bothered when he was taken in for questioning.

"Do you know what happened to your friend, Red?" Ponyboy slightly remembered the tough red-haired boy he was friends with in the cooler.

"No... I havent seen him in... almost a year" Pony rolled his eyes.

"He was found just the other day on his way to your house, Mister Curtis. Do you know why?"

"No..." Pony drew out the word. Red was with the Tiber Street Tigers, didnt bounce around thier territory.

"He had this letter with this picture. Do you know what it means?" the letters were all jumpled. Pony knew it was a code he was tought. You used the letter after instead of the actual letter. it was so simple the fuzz have yet to figure it out.

Pony read the letter, and as requested, repeated it outloud.

"_Dear Curtis,_

_It occurs to me that you are turning out to be a tough kid. You need to soften up. You used to be like that kid that had the blonde hair, now you are just like that Winston fella. You are a good, smart kid, dont let the cooler harden ya. _

_I know something bad is gonna happen. You have been on my mind since our time. And i think you need to not be so tough. Maybe its good to let someone touch you, get into your head._

_Think about it, kid. talk to yeller some time. _

_~Red"_ Ponyboy finishes with a glare at the cop.

"Thank you. And who is 'that kid that had the blonde hair'?"

"This kid that was really damn soft. He got fucked up, man. He was a mess. They almost killed him cuz he didnt toughen up" Pony said. "can I leave now?"

"Sure, kid. Here's the picture. Thanks" He hands the greaser the paper and opens the door.

"See ya" He walks out with a slight rythem in his step.

Pony ran quickly, ducking through the alley. Sirens echoed through his head as he ran towards the park.

The voice echoed through his ears.

"_He was found with a bullet through his shoulder, he lost alot of blood before we found him."_ Then only an hour later. "_He's gone. I'm sorry for your loss"_

Pony could see his brothers soft brown eyes as he looked at him. His laugh, his smile.

Now he was dead.

"I guess i aint so tough" He thinks. He runs faster, needing to get to Yellers house. He would protect him.

He was in the light when the cars cornered him. He could see a familear blonde in the same place. Pony closed his eyes.

"Come now, or we will use force." A voice boomed.

Pony's eyes flashed to the officer amplifying his voice.

"NO!" Pony screamed. He could hear the man saying all his charges. Death of Red was apparently on his hands, and the death of the golden haired god was also his fault. He would have to go back to the Cooler.

Pony does as did the blonde from his vision. the bang sound of the heaters rang in his ears.

Voices screamed and he felt hands on his back as blood seeped from his stomach.

"Dally's wish came true" mused Tim's voice.

"Huh?" Pony blinked.

"You were tough like him." tim smiled sadly.

Pony could hear that blonde's voice, in the car, hectic:

"_You'd better wise up, Pony... you get tough like me and you don't get hurt. You look out fir yourself and nothin' can touch you"_

"Tough like me" Pony croaked as he closed his eyes, the blackness surrounding him.


End file.
